Daily Inspiration: 5 Ways to Instantaneously De-Stress

I woke up late this morning.  Not even a little late.  Like, a few hours late.

Luckily, I didn’t have to be at class or in the hospital today.  Yet I still felt enormously stressed because I had disrupted my own previously planned schedule.  I felt all of this anxiety and guilt, and no one even knew I messed up!  (Well, that is, until now…)

So I thought deeply and worked through my feelings.  These are the 5 methods I use:

1.  Just start.

Psychologists often define the ultimate state of happiness as being completely engrossed in what you are doing.  First defined by the psychologist Mihály
Csíkszentmihályi as “flow,” it is defined as “a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.”

You can’t get in the flow until after you’ve started the work.  It’s ironic, as so many things in life are, that you have to be in a state of heightened work to achieve the feeling of ultimate peace.  But it’s true.

2.  Let go of the idea of perfection.    

Close your eyes for a moment, and visualize yourself succeeding:  Physically, financially, socially, at home, in the office.  Do you see how beautiful you are?  How perfect your life is?

Now let it go.  Just as you can only achieve ultimate peace through intense work, you can only get to perfection through a heck of a lot of imperfection.  Try, try, try again.  Make peace with the ideas the process is a lot longer and you will look a lot dumber than you ever anticipated.   Continue to keep your chin up and your body moving accepting those truths, and you will inevitably succeed.

3.  Keep a private list.

I keep a little list on my computer that makes me smile whenever I am very stressed.  What is written on this list?  For me, it’s:

• A list of people I love and am grateful to have in my life;
• Goals and aspirations +dates by which I want to achieve them;
• Past accomplishments I worked hard to achieve;
• Places that make me feel at peace and happy;
• Favorite quotes;
• Favorite memories.

4.  Break down your to-do list into easy, breathable parts.

Stress is either a sign you’re trying to take on too much, or you’re thinking it’s too much.  Either way, your perception is “It’s too much!”

So break it down.  One of my favorite life experts, Robin Sharma, says to select your “Big 5” tasks to get done throughout the day.  Even though the average person has over 30,000 thoughts and does over 20,000 things in a day, according to ultra-success Sharma, you only have to choose 5.

Another option is to figure out the smallest step you can take and still feel relaxed.  When I study for a huge exam, there are times I do not feel like I can get through an entire practice test.  Sometimes I do 20 questions at a time, then review.  Sometimes it gets as low as 10.  But these little chunks really do add up!

5.  Schedule a reward.

So many of us get up early, stay up late, working with little breaks in-between.  There are few – or no – rewards for many people most days.  While some feel blessed enough to be doing work they are passionate about, for the rest, life can constantly be an exercise in delayed gratification, mostly spent waiting for the raise, promotion, degree, or the like.

Having something valuable to look forward to infuses hope and faith into your days.  It helps the bad moments go by with a greater sense of perspective.  So schedule as many things to look forward to as possible.

I used to brainlessly shop for items, whether they be groceries or clothes or books.  One day, I decided to try shopping only one day/week.  I started to keep a running list of things I want to buy on a white board at home, and then selected one day to go out.  It’s become an event I look forward to every week, and I usually bring a friend or family member along with me.  I really feel as though I am getting the maximal enjoyment out of each dollar.  So there are always ways you can look to infuse more pleasure and enjoyment in your life.  You just have to be committed to the process!

Photo source: Zen, originally uploaded by Rickydavid.